Location, Location, Location. This is so true for quilt/fabric shops.
One here in town is not in the best area, hard to find and the shop itself is dark and not decorated to be cozy or bright. The other one has terrible parking, hard to cross busy front street. All you see when you walk in is sewing machines for sale, then the fabric in the back. Both shops are not doing so great getting the customers in. Another quilt shop about 40 min away is booming. The shop looks like a quilt shop, lots of displays, fabric sections by color and type, easy access and plenty of large parking spaces. And the machines and long arms for sale are in the back rooms. I will drive the 40 min to shop there as many others in town do too.